U-Pick Raspberries and Blueberries

BLUEBERRIES

Our blueberry patch consists of about 300 plants which are approximately 25 years old and fully mature. Blueberry picking usually starts the second week of July and runs until the end of August, depending on the weather. We do not use a designated row system which means you are free to pick wherever you like. We have three varieties of blueberry bushes: Blue Crop, Blue Ray and Patriots. RASPBERRIES
The raspberries are normally ripe a week or so before the blueberries and have a shorter picking season. As with the blueberries, we do not designate you to a row but we do encourage you to search for the berries. Raspberries are often hidden and you may find by looking down low or under leaves, there are lots of ripe berries. We have a new section of Tulameen raspberries that are looking good this year. They should be in full production the summer of 2015.

Please check the website closer to picking season as every evening we post ripening updates and availability for the following day.

We only offer our berries as U-pick, we do not take orders, so bring buckets, your hat, some friends and come out to the farm for some family friendly fun!

Prices: Raspberries $3 per pound Blueberries $1.95 per pound

Corn on the Cob!

Taste the difference having freshly picked corn makes!

We grow four different varieties of award winning sweet corn at the farm; ranging from early peaches and cream to later maturing solid yellow kernel cobs. The corn is usually planted in mid May for mid August to early September harvest. We hand-pick the cobs each evening before the Farmers' Markets to ensure maximum freshness. Once we have picked all of the larger cobs, the corn is chopped into silage and fed during the winter to the water buffalo. We have always, and will continue to grow only non-gmo varieties. You can purchase corn at the Farmers' Market or at the farm stand. Large orders are welcome.

Price: $0.50 per cob

Water Buffalo

Water buffalo became an important part of our farm after we purchased 15 young females from Fairburn Farm in Duncan, BC and a male from the Ontario Water Buffalo Company in Stirling, ON in December of 2010. We designed and built a barn which was completed in the fall of 2011 and retro-fitted an older building to become our milking parlour. The milking parlour was completed the night of March 7th, 2012 and our first buffalo baby was born the morning of March 8th, 2012 and we started milking!

In the past 3 years, our herd has expanded to a total of about 50 water buffalo and we have learned a lot! We strongly believe that our animals deserve to be cared for with kindness and respect and we strive to provide a healthy, natural, stress free environment for them. During the spring and summer months, roughly from April through until October, the water buffalo are on grass pasture. We bring them in to be milked twice a day, but the rest of the time, they are free to graze in the fields. During the winter months, the water buffalo are housed in a loose, sawdust pack barn. We group them in small, social groupings as they form strong bonds with their herd mates and mixing unfamiliar animals is very stressful. They prefer to sleep huddled together, often with their heads resting on each others backs. By using a sawdust pack barn, they are able to rest comfortably and lie down together. We feed a mixture of grass silage and non-GMO corn silage during the winter.

Water buffalo have been domesticated in Asia for thousands of years. They are incredibly docile, curious, and friendly animals. Both the males and females have horns. Water buffalo have a gestation length of 10.5 months and can live up to 25 years. Their milk is pure white, mild tasting, high in milk fat (our herd is about 7.5%), protein and calcium but lower in cholesterol than cow's milk. It is more easily digested and makes excellent yogurt and cheese.